The Bánh Mì Chronicles

(S2 Ep 8) In continuing the theme, “1975” for this 2nd season,  Khemarey Khoeun joins me as my guest for this week's episode. Khemarey is a 1.5 generation Cambodian American from the Chicagoland area.  Back in 2017, she became the first Cambodian American woman elected into public office for the Skokie Park District.  Khem also serves as the board president for the National Cambodian Heritage Museum in the Chicago Lincoln Square neighborhood.  In this interview, she talks about the difficulties in navigating through her Cambodian American identity growing up, her motivation to get involved in community and civic engagement, her recent lessons she’s learned from running and being an elected official, and what she hopes to impart to women of color and to her own children.  

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Bio:

Khemarey received her BS in Social Work at Loyola University Chicago. She formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Cambodian Association of Illinois and is currently President of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial. In 2017, she became the first Cambodian American woman to be elected to any public office position in the U.S